Ultrasonic dental tool



EXAMINER CROSS REFEREaflE R. J- BLANK ETAL 3,375,583

ULTRASONIC DENTAL TOOL 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOK$ ROBERT J. BLANK BYBRUCE RICHMAN mm mm ms Q .5

LZ'a-Z HA 35 April 2, 1968 Filed March 10. 1966 mv NM NV m l wn. ww mmATTORNEY.

A ril 2, 1968 R. J. BLANK. ETAl.

ULTRASON IC DENTAL TOOL Filed March 10, 1966 2 Sheets-Sheet z INVENTORSROBERT 1. BLANK Y BR'UCE RICHMAN ATTORNEX United States Patent 3,375,583ULTRASONIC DENTAL TOOL Robert J. Blank, Hollywood, and Bruce Richman,Miami, Fla., assignors, by mesne assignments, to C 8: B, Inc., MiamiBeach, Fla.

Filed Mar. 10, 1966, Ser. No. 533,362 Claims. (CI. 32-26) ABSTRACT OFTHE DISCLOSURE An ultrasonic dental tool comprising a tubular housing,an elongate tubular jacket telescopically nested in the housing andhaving an outwardly protruding, annular flange near its inner endslidably engaging the inner surface of the housing, an energizing coilcircumposed on said jacket in the space between the jacket and thehousing, a keeper removably mounted on the housing and engaging theouter end of the jacket to hold the jacket and coil, a work toolsupporting member including an electromagnetic transducer and anacoustic transformer, O-ring means embracing said transformer andresiliently engaging a shoulder of said keeper, a retainer memberadapted to releasably secure the transformer with said O-ring meansengaging said shoulder, said jacket defining a liquid 3,375,583 PatentedApr. 2, 1968 FIG. 2 is a partial side elevation view in cross sectiontaken along a medial plane;

path having an inlet port at its inner end and including an axialpassageway from the distal end of the transformer to a point on theinner side of said O-ring means communicating with a radial passagewaythrough the transformer and open to the interior of the jacket so thatliquid may flow through the jacket around said transducer and throughthe passageways of said transformer to a work tool mounted on the distalend of the transformer, said liquid path being entirely within andseparated from said energizing coil.

This invention relates to an ultrasonic dental tool and, moreparticularly, to an improved ultrasonic dental tool having an internalfluid path through a transformer or connecting body which connects themagnetostrictive transducer to the working tool, so that a coolantliquid, such as water, may flow first around the transducer, thuscooling the transducer as well as tempering the water more nearly tobody temperature. Then the water flows through the transformer to apoint adjacent the working tip of the tool where it serves to cool thetip and the tooth and to flush away the detritus resulting fromvibration of the tip against the tooth.

It is an object of this invention to provide an ultrasonic dental toolof the type described hereinafter which is characterized by a reducedlength of capillary tubing with the result that there is a minimumlength subject to clogging by particulate matter flowing in a fluid paththrough the tool.

It is a general object of this invention to provide a tool whichincludes a tubular housing, an internally housed coil wound jacket, atool holding transducer operatively positioned in the jacket andmounting means for the transducer to transmit vibratory motion to a worktool and including a fluid path to communicate water from one end of thetool to the other end of the tool which is of an improved construction,adapted to include replaceable work tools which. may be detached readilyfor cleaning, and which is inexpensive in construction and well adaptedfor the purposes for which it is intended.

In accordance with these and other objects which will become apparenthereinafter, the instant invention will now be described with referenceto the accompanying drawings illustrating a preferred embodimentthereof:

FIG. 1 is a side elevation view of the instant tool;

FIG. 3 is a view of the jacket portion of the instant tool which isshown in cross section in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a view in cross section of the housing designated by thenumeral 14 in FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a side elevation view of a transducer or work tool holderwhich is telescopically inserted in the housing and jacket of FIGS. 3and 4 and shown partly broken away in FIG. 2;

FIG. 6 is an exploded elevation view and illustrating the arrangement ofthe various parts in assembly;

FIG. 7 is a view of the work tool shown at the distal end of the tool ofFIG. 1;

FIG. 8 is a view in cross section taken along the plane indicated :bythe line 88 of FIG. 2 and looking in the direction of the arrows; and

FIG. 9 is a view in cross section taken along the plane indicated by theline 99 of FIG. 2 and looking in the direction of the arrows;

Referring more particularly to the drawings, wherein like referencecharacters designate like or corresponding parts throughout thedifferent views, and referring particularly to FIG. 1, the numeral 12generally designates the tool which includes a tubular housing 14, aninternally housed, coil wound jacket 16, a tool holding member 18telescopically positioned in the jacket and responsive by vibratorymotion on energization of the coil, and a retainer member 20 arranged tohold the tool holder member resiliently in position; the work tool 22 isthreadably connected to the tool holding member and is replaceable byanother tool with a similarly constructed shank.

Referring more in detail to the various parts referred to above, it willbe seen in FIG. 4 that the housing 14 is provided with an axial bore 24therethrough which is counter-bored as at 26 defining a shoulder 28therebetween and that the mouth of the counter-bore is internallythreaded. Within the main chamber defined by the counterbore 26, thejacket 16 is telescopically inserted, the said jacket having a coilcircumposed thereon along a main length 33 on one side of a first and asecond axially-spaced, outwardly extending, annular flanges 34 and 36 ofa common diameter on either side of an annular groove, the said commondiameters accommodating the jacket for snug insertion slideably into themain chamber of the housing. The annular groove 38 provides workingspace for connecting the leads 40 and 42 from the coil 32 to theterminal ends of conductors 43 and 44 which are encased in suitableinsulations 46 and 48 and which lead through the end of the bore 24 ofthe tool to a suitable power source. Also, a fitting 50 is provided inthe reduced bore of the end of the jacket having said flanges tocommunicate through an axial port 51' with the interior of the jacket 16and to accommodate the terminal end 53 of a water tube 52 which is heldin place on the fitting 50 by means of a resilient retainer ringindicated by the numeral 56. As is indicated in FIG. 2, the jacket 16,shown in FIG. 3, is, in assembly, slideably positioned and housed withinthe main chamber of the housing; and the tubular housing 14 includes akeeper 59, exteriorly knurled as at 60, which keeper holds the jacket inthe housing. The keeper 59 is provided with a threaded nose of reduceddiameter 62 to threadably engage the threads 30 at the mouth of thehousing and an axially-extending annular sleeve 64 of reduced diameterfor a snug, male and female, water-tight connection with the end of thejacket so that when the keeper is threadably engaged to the housing thejacket is adapted to be snugly urged into position in the housing by theshoulder 65 between the nose 62 and sleeve 64, while the exteriorsurface of the housing and keeper: is smooth even over the line ofjuncture 67.

The tool holding member 18, which is seen in FlG.'5,

includes an elongate magnetostrictive member 66 and a connecting body orimpedance transformer 68 connected at one end thereof, the said tool.holder being sized for insertion into the jacket through an axial bore70 of the keeper of the housing, which bore is stepped to define a firstand second shoulder, 72 and 74, and is provided with a threadedentrances recess 76. The work tool holder 18, as is apparent in FIG. 6,is thus adapted to be assembled to the housing with the magnetostrictivemember 66 extending axially into and substantially along the length ofthe interior chamber of the jacket portion which is circumposed by thecoil. The connecting body 68 is provided with a radial bore 78 which isin that portion of the keeper which is inserted past the shoulder 72 andthe distal portion 80 is of a reduced diameter and of a length such thatthe distal end 81 is at all times exterior of the tubular housing andkeeper. As is apparent in the drawings, an annular groove 82 is providedintermediate the shoulder 84 and the radial bore 78 and a first O ringis nestled snugly in this annular groove 82 and a second ring is seatedin side-surface abutting relation to the shoulder 84 defined at thejuncture of the reduced diameter portion of the connecting body. Anaxial bore 86 is provided from the extreme distal end 81 of the toolholder to communicate with the radial bore 78, and said bore 86 isthreaded to accommodate the threaded end 90 of a work tool.

In assembly, the said work. tool holder is retained by means of theretainer member 20 which is a threaded plug engaging the threads of thekeeper 59 and also ineludes an extending sleeve portion 96 so that asthe plug is threadably tightened into the position as shown in FIG. 2and indicated in FIG. 6, the leading edge 98 engages the second 0 ringto push the work holder mem ber axially until the first O ring is movedinto engage ment with the shoulder of the keeper and suspended in asomewhat resilient floating relation, yet retained, as shown in FIG. 2.As is well known in the art, an energizing current to the coil willcause the work holder tool to vibrate as the electrical energy isconverted into mechanical energy and, by reason of the suspendedtransformer held in position by means of the O ring, the vibratorymotion is transmitted to the distal end of the work holding tool. Thus,a work tool 22 may be threadably connected to the distal end and will becaused to vibrate at very high speeds. A spray of Water is provided tothe terminal end of the tool by means of a fluid path through the toolwhich is through the interior of the jacket, and then through thecommunicating radial and axial bore of the connecting body, it beingnoted that the diameter of the keeper is sufficient to permit of thepassage of water through the torus shaped chambers between thetransformer or connecting body and the keeper with the first O ringdefining a floor for the torus shaped cham: ber constraining the waterflow to the distal end of the work holder member. In the embodimentshown, the tool 22 includes a shank 106 having a threaded first end 90for threaded engagement with the distal end of the work holder memberand an axial bore 109 therethrough which is counter-bored as at. 110from the other end 112 and in the chamber of the counter-bore, the worktool element 113 is fastened as is a tube 116 with the cham 'ber of thecounter-bore being sealed by suitable means so that the tool element isheld and water is conducted through the tube to impinge in a spray formon the extreme terminal end of the work. tool.

The transducer or work tool holder may consist of any of the variouswell known structures in the art, including the magnetostrictivelaminates or stacks of nickelv wire. It is to be noted that theprovision of the commu-- nicating axial and radial bore of thetransformer portion of the transducer provide a fluid path to connectthe chamber surrounding the transducer to the tip of the tool and thatby reason of this arrangement there has been an elimination of parts anda much less expensive structure is provided. Suitable flats 122 and 123are provided so that the actual work tool may be changed at the optionof the user by simply unscrewing it with the use of a pair of wrencheshaving sockets to simultaneously engage the flats 122 and 123. It isfurther to be noted that by reason of this structure the tool does nothave to be taken apart in order to change the work tools, and, further,that the various work tools which are used can be separated andautoclaved for cleaning which is a distinct improvement over prior arttools in this class for the reason that this method of sterilization isthe preferred method in the art. The structure disclosed herein alsoprotects the coil responsive portion of the transducer by reason of thefact that it remains in place within the housing and is not required tobe removed from the jacket endangering it by such. As is perhaps wellknown, capillary tubing quite often causes a problem for the reason thatit becomes clogged and the instant invention reduces the amount ofcapillary tubing employed so that it is not as susceptible to thisdilator-ions effect encountered in the prior art devices.

The fact that the water runs through the work holder portion of the toolas is disclosed in the accompanying structure has been found to be ofheat dissipating effect and, further, the fact that the fluid passagewayis in the member which is vibrating as opposed to an exterior capillarypath, is beneficial in that there is less clogging for a possible reasonthat the material which is likely to clog is constantly in a vibratorymotion in passing through the transformer. The aforesaid beneficialresults of the instant disclosure are attributable to the submergedfluid path through the transformer as opposed to an external path aroundthe transformer.

While the instant invention has been shown and described herein in whatis conceived to be the most practical and preferred embodiment, it isrecognized that departures may be made therefrom within the scope of theinvention, which is therefore not to be limited to the details disclosedherein but is to be accorded the full scope of the claims so as toembrace any and all equivalent apparatus and articles.

What is claimed is:

1. An ultrasonic dental tool comprising; a tubular housing; an elongate,tubular jacket telescopically nested in the housing and having anoutwardly protruding annular flange near its inner end slidably engagingthe inner surface of the housing, an energizing coil circumposed on saidjacket between the jacket and the housing, a keeper removably mounted onthe housing and engaging the outer end of said jacket to secure thejacket and coil in the housing; a work tool supporting member including,an electromagnetic transducer in said jacket and an acoustic transformerto vibrate when said coil is energized; said keeper having a steppedmouth defining a shoulder therein; the transformer of said work toolsupporting member extending such that its distal end is at all timesexterior of the jacket, said transformer having O-ring means embracingit and engaging the shoulder of said keeper; a retainer member adaptedto move the transformer toward and the connected transducer pr0-gressively into a nested position in said packet to releasably securethe transformer with said O-ring means engaging said shoulder; saidjacket defining a liquid path having an inlet port at its inner end, thesaid distal end of the transformer extending through said retainingmember and the said transformer having an axial passageway from itsdistal end to a point on the other side of the O-ring means and having aradial passageway in communication with said axial passageway defining acontinuation of said liquid path in open communication with the interiorof the jacket so that liquid may flow through the jacket. and thepassageways of the transformer and through the O-ring means; the mouthof the said axial passageway being adapted to hold a work tool includinga capillary liquid duct for vibratory movement together with thetransformer on energization of the coil,

2. An ultrasonic dental tool as set forth in. claim 1 wherein the saidmouth of the axial passageway is provided with a threaded recess, and a.work tool having a threaded shank portion is threadably engaged in saidrecess.

3. The combination set forth in claim 2 wherein said work tool has acapillary liquid duct extending therealong and arranged to conductliquid to a point adjacent the distal end thereof.

4. An ultrasonic dental tool as set forth in claim 1 wherein said keeperand housing are threadably con nected to one another to facilitateseparation of the housing into two portions,

5. An ultrasonic dental tool according to claim 4. wherein said keeperis provided with an inwardly extend ing sleeve of reduced diameterinterfitting with the outer end of said jacket in a male nd female,liquid-tight connection.

6, An ultrasonic dental. tool as set for h n claim. l wherein the saidjacket flange is provided with at least one axial hole therethrough toaccommodate eelctrical conductors leading to said energized coil, and afitting in the bore of the inner end of the jacket with means" arrangedthereon to secure the end of a tube to flow liquid through the saidinlet port.

7. An ultrasonic dental tool as set forth in claim 6 wherein the saidmeans arranged to secure the end of a tube comprise an O-ring sized forsnug passage over the said fitting to hold the tube in position thereon,

8. An ultrasonic dental tool according to claim 6, wherein a secondoutwardly protruding, annular flange with an axial hole for electricalconductors is provided on said jacket spaced axially from said firstflange to form an annular groove, said groove providing space forconnections of said electrical conductors to leads from the terminalends of said energizing coil,

v An ultrasonic dental tool set forth in claim 1 wherein the saidretainer member comprises a sleeve having a portion of reduced diameterfor threaded engage= ment with threads provided on the interior portionof the stepped mouth of the keeper and an annular sleeve por .tion of adiameter less than that of the threaded portion and sized to axiallypush the O-ring means against the shoulder on threaded movement of theretainer member axially into the enlarged mouth, said retainer memberhaving an axial bore through the length thereof of a diameter greaterthan that of the distal end of reduced diameter of the said transformer10, An ultrasonic dental tool comprising; a tubular housing; anelongate, tubular jacket telescopically nested in the housing and havingan outwardly protruding, annular flange near its inner end slidablyengaging the inner end slidably engaging the inner surface of thehousing, an energizing coil circumposed on said jacket between thejacket and the housing, a keeper removably mounted on the housing andengaging the outer end of said jacket to secure the jacket and coil inthe housing; a work tool supporting member including, an electromagnetictransducer in said jacket and an acoustic transformer connected theretoand extending out of the jacket to vibrate when said coil is energized;said keeper having an intemal' shoulder therein; said transformer havingO-ring means embracing it and engaging the keeper shoulder; a retainermember releasably secured to said keeper and engaging the outer side ofsaid O-ring means; said jacket defining a liquid path having an inletport at its inner,

end, said transformer having an axial passageway from its distal endoutside said retainer member to a point inwardly of the O-ring means andhaving a connecting passageway extending to the surface of thetransformer, said passageways defining a continuation of said liquidpath from the interior of the jacket for liquid flow through the jacketand the passageways of the transformer to a work tool adapted to bemounted on the distal end of the transformer,

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,075,288 1/1963 Balamuth et a]32-58 5/1963 Kleesattez 310-26

